Odd Little Twinges
by ItsOnMars
Summary: How can they be homesick, when they've never really had a home?  Three-shot, winner of the "Homesickness Competition"
1. Bellatrix

**OOO**

Bellatrix sighed, ripping up the parchment before throwing it away. There really wasn't any use in writing to her family back home. Who would she write to, anyway? Andromeda didn't care for letters, or so Bellatrix assumed, because she hadn't bothered sending one to her older sister for three years. Narcissa was a horrible correspondent. All of Cissy's letters would concern the newest boy she planned to marry, despite the fact that she was only nine years old. Never once did they ask how Bellatrix was doing –quite well, thank you-, if she had made any friends- she hadn't- or if she was nervous about her Charms paper- of course not. Her parents? Why in the name of Merlin would Bellatrix write to her parents? There was only so many times she could read their uninterested replies that consisted of two sentences.

Still, it wouldn't do to just sit in the dungeons and mope. Bellatrix Black had better things to do with her time than be homesick. And it didn't make sense, either, that she should be homesick. It wasn't like she particularly liked her family. Andy always insisted that Bellatrix was acting too wild, and would rather read than throw rocks at the neighboring family of cats. Cissy used to followed Bellatrix around blindly in adoration, but once she had reached eight years old, she became more interested in being her mother's clone- the perfect, pureblood mother and wife, who cared less about magic and spells than staring at her nails in boredom.

But no matter how much she tried, Bellatrix couldn't get rid of the twinge in her stomach that came whenever she remembered her sisters. For Merlin's sake, she was even growing sad at the thought of Regulus! Regulus Black, the little twit of a three year old who delighted in vomiting all over her schoolbooks when she wasn't looking! Next thing you knew, Bellatrix would find herself pining over everyone in her family, even Sirius. And it was ridiculous to miss a five year old who would rather play with the muggle boys across the street than talk to his cousin for a few minutes.

So why should she be homesick? Andy didn't care about her, Cissy was a fool, and her parents cared more for their money than their oldest daughter. And, even worse, her cousins were complete idiots who disgraced the very Black name- an impressive feat for a three and five year old. No, this feeling was most certainly not homesickness. It was hunger, or maybe she had a headache, or perhaps it was her mind telling her that it was time to go pick on some Hufflepuff first years.

Two hours later, Bellatrix had eaten dinner, taken a potion to get rid of any potential headache, and had hexed some mudblood of a first year; yet that feeling was still there, never once going away and only growing stronger when Bellatrix returned to her room and saw Lucy Davis, a short blonde first year, gossiping about boys in a manner that just screamed 'Narcissa Black'. Bellatrix shook her head and growled quietly. What was the matter with her? She was acting weak and foolish. Those two words had never been used to describe her before, and there was no reason why they should be used now. A few twinges in her stomach did not have the right to make her act so ridiculously. Nobody had the right to make her act that way. Unfortunately, being angry did nothing to make the twinges and feelings of sadness go away, so Bellatrix sighed and decided there was only one thing to do.

Every good Slytherin knew that the one sure way to feel better was to insult other people. And if Bellatrix's family was making her feel upset, she had every right to insult them. They would feel worse, and she would be her normal, uncaring and spiteful self again.

_Dear Andromeda and Narcissa,_

_I would like to let you know that you both are fools. Andromeda for not bothering to send me one bloody letter, and for caring more about her mystery books than her own family. Cissy, you're a fool for thinking that every good-looking boy wants to marry you just because you know how to flip your hair better than most nine-year olds can and should be. Maybe if you ignored your feelings of disturbing lust for a minute, you could notice that I honestly don't want to hear your pathetic ramblings once a week. Also, my dearest Narcissa, following mother and attempting to be the perfect pureblood woman will get you nowhere but chained up to a pathetic excuse for a man whose only good traits are that he is filthy rich and went to Slytherin in his schooldays. And Andy, since you're going to Hogwarts next year, you'd better get used to being bullied and outcast. Most Slytherins don't like little twits like you. _

_Kick Sirius and Regulus for me._

_Sincerely,_

_Your loving and caring sister Bellatrix._

Bellatrix read her letter over again and promptly threw it in the fireplace. Taking out a quill, she tried again.

_Dear Cissy,_

_Glad to know that you're getting along well with the Malfoy boy. Yes, I'm sure he'd be willing to marry you. No, don't worry, Andy doesn't hate you because you because you threw her books in the fireplace because she wasn't paying attention to you. No, you're not a brat. Yes, I think you're prettier than Leila Zabini. Yes, mother will buy you a new dress if you ask. _

_Love,_

_Bellatrix_

She frowned. Now this letter wouldn't do either, seeing as almost every sentence was an absolute lie.

A few seconds later, Bellatrix watched the ashes of what had been her two letters burn. Three pieces of parchment wasted, one potion consumed for no apparent reason, and she had grown into a worrying little fool who missed her family. What a delightful birthday this had been.

**OOO**

**Here's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, as there will be two more to come- Andromeda and then Sirius. Please review and tell me what you thought of this! I update faster when I get reviews, and they improve my writing. Oh, and this was part of RootsOfAHotelWindow's "Homesickness" challenge.**

**Until next time.**

**Sincerely,**

**ItsOnMars :)**


	2. Andromeda

**OOO**

Only a fool wouldn't realize what this feeling was, and Andromeda Black was no fool. She was obviously homesick, which was a funny thing to be when you disliked half of your family and had a strained tolerance for the other half.

Bellatrix was in Slytherin with her, which was no help, seeing as her older sister had suddenly gotten friends a year ago and was always too busy talking about dark magic with them to spare a glance on her lowly, third year sister. Narcissa was in Hogwarts as well, but she had quickly found her group of weak-minded Slytherin boys and girls to boss around. It was really quite a Slytherin thing to do; Cissy had figured out exactly how to manipulate her so-called 'friends', and took delight in having them chase after her. Andromeda could only imagine how the boys would be pining after her sister once she got older. The girl was pretty, even at her young age, and people noticed.

Andromeda didn't really think much of her own looks. In all honesty, she was probably the least attractive of the Black sisters. Bella had a cold beauty to her; Cissy was a classic beauty, and Andromeda? Well, she was a toned down version of her older sister. She could be quite pretty if she cared about attracting the attention of the moronic Slytherin boys in her year, people who were interested in Quidditch only because it gave them an opportunity to smash into Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs as brutally as possible without getting a detention. No, beauty was of no importance to her, that was for sure.

But all of these thoughts were pointless. Internally babbling about beauty would do nothing for her. Merlin, how was she supposed to stop feeling homesick, anyway? Being homesick tended to mean you missed your home, which made no sense for Andromeda. All of her sisters were in school, her parents were twats who didn't care about their daughters, and the house elves weren't really the best creatures to talk to. She had gone mad, that's what it was. She wasn't homesick- she was certifiably insane. Andromeda was practically talking to herself and suggesting that she go speak to house elves because she missed home. Who in their right mind would even talk to a creature that didn't understand what the term 'first person' meant?

Perhaps she just missed her sisters. Merlin knew the last time she had spoken to Bella had been a month ago, and that had ended in an argument of massive proportions. The last time she had spoken to Cissy had been a week ago, because the girl seemed to think herself better than the rest of the world. When Andromeda asked how she was doing, she had merely raised an eyebrow and gone on staring at her nails as the rest of her pathetic clique crowded around her in amazement. What they were amazed at was anyone's guess.

Speak of the devil. The blonde Slytherin was approaching, a hand on her hip as she strutted through the library, passing the area Andromeda was sitting in.

"Hello, Cissy. What brings you to the library?"

The younger girl turned in shock, not having seen her sister, before she recovered her cool demeanor.

"Oh, it's you, Andy. I thought it was another one of those brainless twits."

"Who?"

"I meant my friends. I'm tired, and that slipped out, it didn't mean anything."

Andromeda attempted to stifle a laugh, but failed miserably. Cissy scowled, seeing her sister wasn't going to let the previous sentence go.

"Fine. I think the girls that follow me are pathetic. Can we not talk about this?"

"You were the one that started it. I was just wondering what you were doing in the library."

"I was working on my Charms essay in the dungeons, but Emily Patil decided to try out a new spell that we had learned yesterday. Now half of the room is covered in slugs, and Patil is practically passed out on the floor, trying to refrain from vomiting up any more of those foul things."

"How stupid does someone have to be to make themselves vomit up slugs?"

Cissy shrugged and tried to hide the spreading grin on her face.

"Well, ask Patil. Maybe she can help you find the answer."

Andromeda leaned back and gave a full-hearted laugh.

"It's been fun talking to you again, Cissy."

"Eh, it's been okay."  
>"Maybe you should stop pretending you hate me."<br>"Maybe you should talk to me once in a while before going around declaring that I hate you."  
>"What? I always try to talk to you!"<p>

"No, you don't, Andy. Every time I pass you, you stick your nose up in the air as if you've smelt something bad, sneer at my friends, and then walk away as quickly as possible. Merlin forbid you catch some of my germs!"  
>"You're being absolutely ridiculous! The only reason I avoid those conversations is because for some reason, you've chosen to make 'friends', and I use that word loosely, with the stupidest people at Hogwarts. Why should I talk to someone who's managed to manipulate those pathetic Slytherins to follow her around blindly?"<p>

"Oh, stop pretending that you're the saintly, holy Black sister. In case you haven't noticed, you can't exactly go around insulting my friends just because you have none!"  
>"I have friends! Just because I'm not whoring myself around to all of the stupid Slytherin boys does not mean I don't have a social life!"<p>

"It's called being social! I'm not whoring myself out to anyone! And stop using the word 'Slytherin' like it's an insult. News flash, Andy. You're a bloody Slytherin too! So stop ignoring your siblings just because you hate my friends and you hate Bella for no discernable reason. Swallow your blasted pride and go and apologize to her! Talk to me when my friends aren't there! IT'S NOT THAT HARD, ANDY!"

Cissy stopped, breathing heavily as she glared at her older sister. Andromeda looked at her, a blank look in her eyes, before storming out of the library.

There was no use in being homesick. She tried to talk to one of her sisters, and they had had a pleasant conversation before that little twit had gone and ruined it by making up crazy ideas. As if Andromeda liked the fact that she barely spoke to her sisters, or that she wasn't as obsessed with Slytherin house as the rest of her family was. It was her family's entire fault! They were the ones to blame here.

She pushed past a Hufflepuff, that Tonks boy, growling at him to get out the way. Andromeda ignored his squeak of helplessness as she swept her robes behind her, walking back to the dungeons as quickly as possible with her head bent down. After all, it wouldn't do to have all of Hogwarts see her, Andromeda Black, crying for no reason other than the fact that she was slowly losing her family, one member at a time. No, that would not do at all.

**OOO**

**And that's Chapter 2 of ****Odd Little Twinges****! I know that I was late in updating, but Hurricane Irene is a bum and my parents are making me do math, even though school hasn't started. Not as in you're-bad-at-math-go-practice. No, it's you're-a-grade-above-in-math-go-make-sure-you-know-the-course-material-before-classes-start. **

**Bleh.**

**Chapter 3 will be posted tomorrow. That will be the final chapter, by the way, and it'll be about Sirius. **

**I hope you lot liked this one! I'd also like to thank my reviewers, My Dear Professor McGonagall, and RootsOfAHotelWindow. You guys are great! I'd also like to thank everyone who put this on alert or favorited it.**

**Until tomorrow,**

**ItsOnMars :)**


	3. Sirius

**OOO**

Sirius Black pinched himself for the fourth time that minute, earning strange looks from the fifth year sitting a few meters away from him in the Gryffindor Common Room. He didn't mind; the boy could stare for all he wanted. For all Sirius knew, he could just be looking off into the distance with a confused look on his face.

That probably wasn't it.

Maybe he was just wondering why Sirius Orion Black, the charismatic, wonderfully talented, handsome, charismatic, and smart third year was spending Christmas Break at Hogwarts, instead of going back to his family in London. Sirius sighed and pinched himself again. It wouldn't do to keep thinking about his family. Merlin, if he didn't know any better, he would think that he was homesick or something equally horrific!

That most certainly wasn't the case, though. Why would he be homesick if he had voluntarily chosen to stay at Hogwarts? Regulus had gone home, happily in fact, and hadn't even bothered asking his older brother why he had chosen to stay at school. It had been very Slytherin of him, and had doubtless made the rest of the Black family happy.

Sirius squeaked quietly as he realized that perhaps his sixth pinch had been a bit too hard. He quickly got up, deciding to go for a stroll to the kitchens. He obviously had nothing better to do; after all, anything was better than sitting by himself in the Common Room, staring morosely at the fireplace while pinching himself every time he started to think about his family. Yes, going to the kitchens sounded like a brilliant idea.

But once he got there, he realized his plan was flawed. Dinner was in half an hour, and the house elves were all busy making food for the professors and the few students that had stayed. Only two of them noticed Sirius when he walked in the in large room, and one ran up quickly to him, franticly wringing his small hands.

"Mister Black is needing to leave! Dirny is getting in trouble with professors because he is letting Mister Black in kitchens every day! Dirny is promising headmaster that he is stopping Mister Black and friends when they is coming. Oh, but Mister Black is in kitchens now, and Dirny is liar!"

Sirius snickered at the house elf's panic.

"It's fine, Dirny. If I can get an apple I'll be on my way, and nobody will have to know that I came to the kitchens."

"Fine, fine, Dirny is getting Mister Black the apple. But after that, Dirny is going to hit his head on the tables twenty times so that headmaster is not getting angry."

"I-I don't think that Dumbledore would want you doing that, Dirny…. In fact, why don't you just get me the apple and forget that I ever came here?"

"No, Dirny is not lying. Here is Mister Black's apple."

"…I'll leave you to your business then, Dirny."

Sirius left the kitchens quickly, tossing the apple in the air while vowing to himself that he would stop visiting the kitchens when Dirny was there.

He sat down in a nearby nook, biting into the apple before leaning back and staring at the fruit. It was red, as bright and proud as the Gryffindor red Sirius had become so familiar with in the past two and a half years. It was odd, really, because Sirius's favorite apples had always been the green, sour ones. It hadn't been because he had been raised to think of green as the ultimate pureblood colour. It had nothing to do with it, in fact. He just preferred the taste. Regulus liked red apples, yet he was a complete Slytherin.

But eating the red apple still made Sirius a bit depressed; the odd little twinges in his stomach only intensified, completely ruining the third year's appetite. He stood up and started to walk back to the Common Room, and stopped a first year Hufflepuff.

"Y-yes? Do you want anything?"  
>"Not especially. I just saw you walking towards me and thought that you looked like a promising smart young man. So I have decided to bestow upon you this apple."<br>"So you want me to take your apple?"

Sirius grinned and opened the Hufflepuff's hand and placed the half-eaten apple in it.

"Precisely."  
>The Hufflepuff looked bewildered, and stammered out his thanks before running away.<p>

Sirius watched him run, his grin only growing wider as the boy stumbled and fell into a nearby suit of armor. Hufflepuffs were a funny bunch, and were always funny to tease.

The grin suddenly disappeared as Sirius realized what he had just thought. It had been dangerously close to what seemed to be Slytherin's unofficial motto: "You shall not let a Hufflepuff pass without ruining his day in any way possible".

Merlin, he was turning into his brother. Soon enough, his parents would be owling him, saying that they loved him and were proud of him. Narcissa would no longer ignore him in the hallways, and Bellatrix would call him her cousin again, forgetting that she had practically disinherited him the day he got into Gryffindor.

Sirius pinched himself again. It wouldn't do to be homesick. After all, his only real home was Hogwarts.

**OOO**

**And here's the third and last chapter of ****Odd Little Twinges****! Yes, I know I promised to update a lot quicker, but then school was a pain and I only just got the time to write now.**

**On another note, ****Odd Little Twinges**** won the Homesickness Competition! So thanks to RootsOfAHotelWindow!**

**I'd like to thank you all for reading these one-shots, and would love it for you to review. They really improve my writing, and make me happy. If that matters.**

**I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing: Starkid McFly and RootsOfAHotelWindow**

**Once again, thanks for reading!**

**Sincerely,**

**ItsOnMars :)**


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